Musical transposition-indicator



(No Model.)

J. MAGGS.

MUSICAL TRANSPOSITION INDICATOR.

110.371,692. Patented Oct. 18,1887. jf-Z vv Y A fnwgnzzay:

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN MAGGS, OF OANANDAIGUA, NEV YORK.

MUSICAL TRANSPOSlTION-INDICATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 371,692, dated. October 18, 1887.

Application filed April 20, 1885.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN MAGGs, of Canandaigua, in the county of Ontario and State of New York, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Musical Transposition- Indicators, which I denominate The Musical Scaloscope, and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and eXact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a face view of the device. Fig. 2 is a crosssection, on au enlarged scale, in the line w x of Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2, but showing a modification. Fig. 4 is a detail view.

My improvement relates to that class of musical indicatorsin which a plate is used having scales and musical characters marked thereon, and aslide is used moving up and down on the plate, the object being to indicate to the eye in a material and practical form the various transpositions in music. Such devices are already known.

It is the object of my invention to embody the device in a thin and compact form, so that it can be used between the covers and leaves of an ordinary singing-book, as hereinafter more fully described.

In the drawings, a shows the background or sheet that constitutes the stationary part of the device. It may be made of paper, cardboard, cloth, or any other material suited to the purpose which has the necessary iieXibility to allow it tobe placed inside the covers ot' a book. This sheet is marked as follows:

b is thc representation of two octaves of a piano or organ marked on the left of the sheet in keys.

c is a scale of letters indicating pitch, the relative distance in pitch being shown by crosslines d d.

g g are crosslines on the opposite side of the sheet, representing the chromatic scale, the same being equidistant to indicate equal tones.

h h indicate a series of key-signature names written in full, thus: naturaL five Hats, two sharps, &c.

kk are two slots out longitudinally in the sheet at some distance apart, as shown in Fig. 1. m is aslide which moves up and down over these slots. rIhe slide consists of a strip Serial No. 162,885. (No model.)

of paper or other suitable material, and is attached to the strip, forming the guideway j' between the slots, by means of a thin band ot' paper or cloth, r, which is pasted or otherwise attached to the slide, and encircles the guideway, as shown most clearly in the crosssection, Fig. 2.

Instead of forming the guideway by cutting slots, as above described, it may be formed by attaching a separate strip outside the sheet forming the background, as shown in Fig. 3. Thus arranged the slide can be moved up and down on the guideway, and will retain its position at any adjustment. The slide is provided on its face with a series of crosslines, which correspond with the cross-lines d d when the slide is set in the natural key. Theselines are numbered up to 8, and are also marked with the musical characters Do, Re, ML Fa, SOL La, SL Do, as shown, representing the diatonic scale. On the left side of the slide are made a series of pointers, w w, corresponding in number and position with the cross-lines and tallying with the crosslines d d on the background. On the right side of the slide are made two pointers, c c, at top and bottom, which tally in all positions of the slide with the cross-lines g g ot' the chromatic scale.

The operation is as follows: In the natural key the slide is placed so that the lower pointer, tw, at the left will coincide with thelower line, d, which is (3, and the pointers c o on the opposite edge will also at the same time come opposite the wor( natural at the right of the scale. This indicates unerringly to the eye the key of the music. If the key is in D, the slide is moved up till the lower pointer, w, comes opposite D, when the opposite pointers, e, will tally with the words two Sharps, thus indicating exactly to the eye the key of the music. By comparing all the pointers on the left in the above-named key it will be found that they tally with all the letters except F and 0, which must each be raised a half a tone to meet the demands of the diatonic scale. In the same manner, by placing the slide at different positions to correspond with different letters the same eliect will be produced, and the transposition will be rendered apparent to the eye.

IOO

sheet a, provided with the central guideway, f, of the slide m, provided with a band, fr, which embraces the guideway, as herein shown l and described.

One advantage of this device is the method of connecing the slide with the background by means of the flexible gnideway and the strip or band of the slide which embraces it. In this form the device can he used in a book. In Witness whereof I have hereunto signed Having described my invention, I do not my name in the presence of two subscribing claim, broadly, a slide adjustable to different witnesses. positions on the background.

What; I claim as new7 and desire to secure by 'Letters Patenti, is#

In a musical transposition-indicator, the con1bination,with the flexible backgroundvIOHN MAG GS.

'Witnessesr T. SKIDMORE, DAVID S. Cox. 

